At the moment that I am writing this, we in the United States are (we pray) on the downward slope of the Covid-19 virus and its ill effects both medically and economically. Thousands have been personally affected by the virus, and reopening the economy after such an extended shut down will be a tremendous task. I don’t remember another time when fear, confusion, isolation, and uncertainty have been as palpable as they have been in these last weeks. The fear has given way to frustration for many. The sense of not being sure who to trust accompanied by a healthy amount of skepticism seems to have set in. All of those feelings are compounded by economic trials that seem to have hurdle after hurdle to clear. Both hopeful and deeply cautious people are trying to navigate these days as best they can. In short the atmosphere seems very unsettled. We need encouragement and direction in the worst way. Thankfully, God is never caught off guard, and He knows the way out of every valley. The Minor Prophet Habakkuk had his own valley to walk through, and his prayer to God sounds like one you and I might pray today. In it, three things we need now are exactly what Habakkuk asked of God.
The Situation
Habakkuk’s time around 605 B.C. was very different from our own but his weariness, uncertainty, and pleading with God for help are feelings we certainly may share with him. Habakkuk looked around him and all he saw were violence, immorality, perversion of justice, and the rejection of God’s ways of peace. He asked God, “How long will all this go on and You do nothing about it?” He asked God a hard question and God gave him a hard answer. God was in fact going to do something about it. He was going to shake things up in a major way and act in justice on the cruelties people (including God’s people) had inflicted upon the downtrodden and oppressed. It was going to be a difficult time to live through for Habakkuk, but God’s promise to him was clear: those who pursued God and His ways would be sustained by their faithfulness to Him (Habakkuk 2:4). God would not forget them and would preserve them even when judgment was necessary and faithful living wasn’t welcomed by a world obsessed with status-seeking and morally corrupt power.
Having learned that God was about to act, Habakkuk was filled with many emotions including a sense of awe and fear. The times were challenging ones to his faith, and during the days when God would act to set things right life would likely seem to get worse before it got better. Habakuk asked God for three things to help him make it through the tough times while looking forward to God’s restoration and peace: make us live, make us understand, and remember mercy.
The Response
While staring into a future that would involve difficult trials and days where even basic necessities might be hard to come by, Habakkuk never lost faith in God. Though the message God gave this prophet made him tremble, Habakkuk knew God’s good character and placed his faith in the eternal God who promised to see him through to the end. His closing prayer in Habakkuk 3:2 reads in most Bibles:
“In the midst of the years revive it; in the midst of the years make it known; in wrath remember mercy.”
The original Hebrew is more direct: “In the midst, make him live. In the midst, make him understand. In (times of) trembling, remember mercy.” Habakkuk does not pray for an end to the time of trial and trembling—he prays only that God would sustain the life of the righteous man and woman who put their full trust in God Almighty. “Lord, sustain them and give them meaning and purpose even in the middle of hard times ahead.” He also asks that in the midst of trying days filled with questions and uncertainty that God would give the faithful an understanding of His work in the world so that they could survive with strong faith in a hopeful future secured by God alone. “Lord, give them understanding so that they can see your hand at work and praise you in the midst of the storm.” Finally, Habakkuk asks that in times of trembling (some interpreters use the term “wrath”), that God would pour out His mercy on those who cling to Him for help and comfort. Even the strongest person may tremble under stress and difficulty, but the tender mercies of God always prove sufficient to sustain those who trust in Him. “Lord, never forget your mercy that keeps us from going under in bitter and trying times.” What timely words of comfort from this mighty Minor Prophet.
The Test
Through the reconciling work of Jesus’ salvation secured for all who believe, He welcomes us into the promisies of God such as we find in the book of Habakkuk. Just like He promised then, God is faithful to those who trust Him now through faith in Christ Jesus. The test for us is the same as for Habakkuk; whether in trial, desperation, want, or confusion, will we trust God to sustain us and give us wisdom during those times or not? Will we trust Him who delights to show mercy to all who come near in faith? Even in our time where things seem to be changing and the tide seems to rise up to our necks, will we bow our heads and rest through Christ our Savior in the unfailing character of our eternal God? He will sustain us. He will give understanding. He will preserve us in His mercy. But we have to trust Him. Like Habakkuk we must take God at His word to never leave or forsake us and to lead us through the valley we must endure, growing closer to Him in the process. Habakkuk chose to praise God even in the midst of his hardships because he did not doubt God’s goodness and faithfulness to him no matter what the situation was at the time. Let’s lift our heads and our voices today in praise to God through Jesus Christ who is with us always and cares for our every need in every season of life.
by Parker Bradley, author of The Twelve: A Transformational Journey Through The Minor Prophets
